Potting And Caring For Your Lotus

Your lotus tuber will be packed in damp paper inside a plastic bag, with an identifying label. Please unpack it as soon as possible after arrival.

Lotus tubers are very brittle and fragile, particularly around the growing points (the 'joints' where the shoots emerge). Handle the tuber with great care at all times. If a tuber snaps once it will usually survive, but won't grow as well. Repeated damage usually causes it to fail. 

Ideally, plant your lotus immediately on arrival. If this is not possible, place the tuber in a container of water large enough to fully accommodate it, and keep it in a cool but frost-free place until you are able to pot it up. Protect it from animals if possible - lotuses are edible, and rodents (and occasionally birds) may eat them while they are floating in the water waiting to be potted.

Lotus must always be planted in round, solid containers. Do not use square pots, as growing points may be damaged by growing into corners. Do not use open mesh aquatic baskets, as shoots can become trapped in the mesh. The container should be large. We recommend:

45 - 90cm (18 - 36 inches) in diameter

At least 15cm (6 inches) deep

Black containers are best, as they absorb sunlight and warm up more quickly. Many people choose very large round watertight pots, which effectively become a small pond in their own right. This also makes it easier to position the lotus in the warmest, sunniest spot in the garden, something that is particularly important in cooler locations.

Plant the lotus in heavy clay loam, or if this is not available, shop-bought aquatic soil. Lay the tuber horizontally on the surface of the soil, with any shoots pointing approximately upwards. Then add enough soil to fully cover the whitish tuber but not the shoots, usually around 2 - 3cm (about an inch). It should be enough to prevent the tuber from floating when water is added. Do not add a layer of gravel over the plant, as this can make it difficult for shoots to emerge.

Then add around 5cm (2 inches) of water over the soil - no more than this. Lotus need as much sun and warmth as possible to grow strongly and to form tubers for the following year, and this is best achieved when they are just below the water surface. If the tuber floats up, gently wiggle it back into the soil and add a little more soil until it remains in place.

When the first proper emergent leaves appear, carefully push the supplied slow-release fertiliser tablets into the soil just below the main growing points.

During the growing season, try to keep the water surface clear of duckweed, thick blanketweed, or anything else that shades the soil and reduces warmth. Trim off any dead leaves with scissors, cutting just above the water surface.

Flowering usually occurs between July and September, depending on how warm the summer is. In cool summers the plant may not flower; in hot summers it will flower more and earlier.

Leave the tuber where it is over winter. It does not need frost protection and does not need to be moved into a greenhouse, garage, or indoors. Bringing it into a warm environment over winter is not beneficial. 

Like most potted plants, lotuses benefit from being re-potted every couple of years. If you would like advice on when or how to do this, please contact us.